{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,22]],"date-time":"2026-09-22T22:01:01Z","timestamp":1790114461890,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,11]],"date-time":"2026-08-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1786406400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Life"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Microplastics (MPs) are emerging environmental contaminants with potential implications for human health. Experimental studies suggest that MPs accumulate in the liver and promote inflammatory and fibrotic changes, but evidence from human tissues remains limited. This study investigated the presence of suspected MP-like particles in post-mortem human liver tissue and their associations with clinical, biochemical, hematological and histopathological parameters. Methods: Post-mortem liver tissue samples were collected from 55 adults. Suspected MP-like particles were extracted using hydrogen peroxide digestion, filtration, Nile Red staining and image-based quantification. Histopathological evaluation assessed inflammation, fibrosis, necrosis and fatty liver degeneration. Polarized light microscopy was used as a supportive morphological assessment method. Statistical analyses included Mann\u2013Whitney U tests, Fisher\u2019s exact tests and Spearman correlation analysis. Results: Detectable hepatic suspected MP-like particles were identified in 9 of 55 individuals (16.4%). Individuals with detectable suspected MP-like particles had significantly lower alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels and leukocyte counts. The hepatic suspected MP-like particle burden showed weak positive correlation with liver fibrosis and inflammation and weak inverse correlation with ALT levels and leukocyte count. Fisher\u2019s exact test showed that liver fibrosis and liver inflammation were significantly associated with detectable hepatic suspected MP-like particles, with higher unadjusted odds observed in the corresponding 2 \u00d7 2 contingency tables. No statistically significant associations were found for liver necrosis or fatty liver degeneration. Conclusions: Detectable suspected MP-like particles were identified in post-mortem human liver tissues and were more closely associated with fibrotic and inflammatory histopathological changes than with routine biochemical abnormalities. Larger studies using standardized detection methods are needed to confirm these results.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/life16081315","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,11]],"date-time":"2026-08-11T09:11:16Z","timestamp":1786439476000},"page":"1315","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Screening for Suspected Microplastic-like Particles in Post-Mortem Human Liver: Correlating Histopathological Alterations with Clinical Profiles"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Eugen-Toma","family":"Radu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"County Emergency Clinical Hospital Sibiu, 550025 Sibiu, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-5395-2333","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nastaca Alina","family":"Palade","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Preclinical Department, Faculty of Medicine, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, 550169 Sibiu, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Crina Cristina","family":"Solomon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Preclinical Department, Faculty of Medicine, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, 550169 Sibiu, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Oana Gabriela","family":"Somcutian","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pathology, \u201cNiculae Stancioiu\u201d Heart Institute Cluj-Napoca, 19\u201321, Calea Mo\u021bilor St., 400001 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Manuela Pia","family":"Pumnea","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Preclinical Department, Faculty of Medicine, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, 550169 Sibiu, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maria","family":"Totan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Preclinical Department, Faculty of Medicine, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, 550169 Sibiu, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7447-0940","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Claudia Maria","family":"Mihu\u021b","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Biology and Ecology Research Center, Faculty of Sciences, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, 550012 Sibiu, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4804-1138","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cecilia","family":"Georgescu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Agriculture Sciences, Food Industry and Environmental Protection, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Dr. Ion Ra\u021biu Str. 7\u20139, 550012 Sibiu, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4874-0430","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Adina","family":"Frum","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Preclinical Department, Faculty of Medicine, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, 550169 Sibiu, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9913-1750","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carmen Maximiliana","family":"Dobrea","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Preclinical Department, Faculty of Medicine, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, 550169 Sibiu, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3167-9864","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Felicia Gabriela","family":"Gligor","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Preclinical Department, Faculty of Medicine, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, 550169 Sibiu, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Qin, F., Du, J., Gao, J., Liu, G., Song, Y., Yang, A., Wang, H., Ding, Y., and Wang, Q. 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